


Cordonians On Set: Brothers, Actors & Allies

by Steves-On-A-Plane (PrincessTriSarahTops)



Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessTriSarahTops/pseuds/Steves-On-A-Plane
Summary: You and your friends are on the set of your husband’s big movie when you start to realize Maxwell’s made more than a few “minor” tweaks to the events. Mostly notably he’s made himself the star of nearly every scene. Your father-in-law Barthelemy isn't helping matters much either. Can you help smooth things out between the brothers Beaumont and bring Maxwell’s head down from the clouds?
Relationships: Maxwell Beaumont/Main Character (The Royal Romance)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	Cordonians On Set: Brothers, Actors & Allies

**Author's Note:**

> Basically when I first read The Royal Heir Book 2 Chapter 12 I was less that thrilled about it. (My MC is married to Maxwell.) So I tried to fix it.

* * *

* * *

“Wow!” You gasped as you stepped out into the soundstage with the rest of your friends. It was the first day of shooting the movie based on Maxwell’s memoir and you’d all been granted access to watch the filming. The first set you’d been taken to was an impressively accurate recreation of the Cordonian Castle’s ballroom. You, Hanna, Drake and even Liam were stunned by the craftsmanship and detail that had gone into creating the set. Maxwell and Bertrand would have also been impressed if their attention hadn’t been captured by a familiar figure standing in the center of the faux ballroom. It was their father, Barthelemy Beaumont.

“Ah, King Liam, Duchess [Y/N]! My two sons!” Barthelemy greeted everyone with a practiced smile.

You adjusted your grip of the princess in your arms. It had become a bit of a nervous habit at this point to make sure that your daughter was snuggled close to you around people you didn’t trust. Sure, technically Barthelemy was family, but he didn’t quite feel it. You hadn’t mentioned this aloud to anyone but there was just something about your father-in-law that felt off to you. Maybe it was the fact that all of Cordonia had acted like he was dead until a few months ago. It might have been the way he always seemed treated Bertrand as if he were still a child.

“Father? What are you doing here?” Bertrand asked the question you really wanted an answer to yourself.

“I know I arrived a bit early,” Barthelemy sighed dramatically. “But the crew was very accommodating of _Maxwell Beaumont’s_ father!” There it was again, that gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach. Barthelemy had name dropped Maxwell and didn’t seem the least bit apologetic. You wanted to call him out on it, but you looked at Maxwell who was positively elated that his father was there. You decided to take a page from Bertrand’s book and offered your father-in-law a stoic but slightly critical remark instead.

“I think he means what are you doing in _LA_.” You commented.

“I wanted to show my support to my sons!” You fought back the urge to scoff as he continued on. “To see the set of Maxwell’s movie firsthand and to offer my assistance to Bertrand once again. Whether that be with House Beaumont duties or lending a hand with Bartie. I still regret that you had to shoulder so much in my absence. This is a chance to make amends.”

“I assure you, I have everything well under control.” Bertrand replied coldly. It was the sort of calm displeased tone you were used to Bertrand using with you back when you were vying for King Liam’s hand. The tone that implied Bertrand was upset but willing to forge ahead.

“Are you certain?” His father frowned. “I would…” But Bertrand wasn’t hearing another word on the matter.

“I said I don’t need your help!” The Duke of Ramsford hissed indignantly. For anyone else it would have been upsetting enough to see them snap at their parent like that, but for Bertrand? It was practically shouting. It was worse than the time you almost used a dessert fork during the salad course.

“Well I…” Barthelemy took a beat to compose himself. Much like the rest of you, he wasn’t used to Bertrand lose his temper.

“Come on Dad, let me help you find a good seat!” Maxwell suggested. He guided his father away to a collection of chairs slightly offstage. You weren’t sure if Maxwell finally decided to intervene for his father’s benefit or his brothers. The others moved off to find their seats too. You reached out and touched Bertrand’s arm causing him to stop and look back at you.

“Bertrand, are you okay?” You questioned.

“Just as I told my father, I’m fine.” He grumbled. He was still irritated, but clearly not with you.

“Actually, what you told him was that you didn’t need his help. And honestly, you seem pretty _not_ fine, to me.”

“Pardon me if I’m offended by my father following me to the far side of the earth to tell me that I can’t handle my affairs.” Bertrand cast a forlorn look in his father’s direction. You sympathized with Bertrand because you knew how import family and the legacy of House Beaumont were to him. All Bertrand had ever wanted was to build something that would make his father proud. And all Barthelemy did was criticize him. “Maxwell and I got along perfectly fine without him all this time.” He added still seething with anger.

“Maxwell seems pretty happy to have him here.” You said, not able to think of anything else to comfort him. You both watched as Maxwell sat next to his father and animatedly told the story about how he convinced you to come to Cordonia in the first place.

“He was rather young when our father got sick.” Bertrand recalled.

“Let’s let Maxwell and Barthelemy have their moment, they can sit up front together and we’ll sit in the back. We’ll blame it on Maxine. We can say that she should sit in the back so she doesn’t make too much noise. I’ll even let you hold your favorite niece slash Heir to the Cordonian Throne.”

“Very well.” Bertrand agreed. He held out his arms expectantly. You passed your daughter off to him the two of you claimed two open seats in the back row.

With everyone seated and the set cleared, the actors arrived and took their places. The first scene filmed was your debut at the masquerade ball. You watched as quietly as possible from behind the cameras. Truth be told you weren’t entirely interested in watching the filming. You all knew from the book reading awhile back that Maxwell had stretched the truth in some instances when it came to his novel and you certainly weren’t expecting the Hollywood adaptation to get much more factual. It also didn’t help that the actress cast to play you appeared to be a weirdly dedicated method actress with little regard for personal space. You’d mostly come to LA to support your husband and to meet the mysterious former Queen of Rivala.

While everyone else was focused on the actors in front of them, you were still thinking about Bertrand, Maxwell and Barthelemy. Things couldn’t go on much longer the way they’d been since Bertrand’s wedding. You wondered if Maxwell could sense the tension that Barthelemy had brought into the family by behaving the way he did; he must have. Maxwell was carefree and optimistic, but he wasn’t stupid. He had to know that on some level Barthelemy was toxic. After all wasn’t he part of the reason House Beaumont had needed Bertrand’s saving in the first place?

“That’s it?” You heard Bertrand remark suddenly. “Aren’t I in this scene?” He asked, looking directly at the back of Maxwell’s head. Maxwell turned and looked back at his brother.

“Well, you weren’t actually there when [Y/N] was introduced at court.” He reminded his brother.

“No.” Bertrand frowned. “That can’t be true. I wouldn’t have missed such an occasion.”

“I’m afraid it is.” You told Bertrand regrettably. “I didn’t even meet you until after the Masquerade was almost over and then you, Max and I all went to bed early. Our first real conversation was the next morning in the car ride to the Derby.”

“I remember now.” Bertrand sighed. “I was working on House finances that evening.”

“Don’t worry.” Maxwell smiled. “I’m sure you’re in some scenes coming up later.” Maxwell turned back around while the director ordered everyone to reset and shoot the scene again. As if she could sense her Uncle’s discomfort, little Maxine reached out and wrapped her had around one of Bertrand’s fingers. For a minute at least, this managed to crack through his mask and Bertrand smirked. He wrapped the rest of his fingers around her tiny hand.

As the day went on the filming moved to shoot the night of Anton Severus’s attack. The same night you were officially recognized as the Duchess of Valtoria. The scene started out much the same as everyone remembered. The actors were placed around the ballroom set all listening to the actor who portrayed King Liam give a rousing speech and welcome you as Cordonia’s newest Duchess. The creative liberties started when the Maxwell character stepped forward to thank Liam instead of you. It felt out of place because, well why on earth would Maxwell be giving a thank you speech in that moment?

Then the lights on the set flicked off before turning back on. There was a loud pop. The Drake character had a line about there being _“More fancy fireworks for the fancy party.”_ And then the Maxwell character was ordering the guards to usher King Liam to safety. He had a corny line about it being _“time to unleash the kraken!”_ before confronting an extra who pointed a gun in his direction. The Drake character then sprinted in out of nowhere and knocked Maxwell to the ground. You didn’t pay attention to what happened next. You looked away from the train wreck of a scene until the director called out for everyone to take a break.

“That was just how I envisioned it when I was writing this scene!” The real Maxwell announced proudly.

“Maxwell, that’s not at all what happened.” You told him. “I knew you made a few minor tweaks here and there in the story but you kind of made everything about you.” Maxwell seemed to take what you said to heart. He looked at the set and back at you. Maybe he had changed things too much.

“I thought it was very heroic!” Barthelemy announced. You wanted to comment that no one had asked what he thought, but you remembered Bertrand seated next to you. You imagined what advice he might give you and, in your head, you recalled Bertrand’s best lecturing voice.

_“You’re not just a scrappy waitress from New York, Lady [Y/N]! You’re a Duchess. The Duchess of Valtoria, and a Duchess can’t be seen shouting and ranting to her Father-In-Law on some backlot in the middle of Los Angeles.”_

So, you let the subject drop for the moment. There would be plenty of time for you to speak to Maxwell later when the two of you were alone in your hotel room. The director motioned for everyone to follow him to the next set so that production could continue. As Maxwell and Barthelemy lead the charge to the new set, you and Bertrand wandered slightly behind everyone else. Hana hung back too. She had been reading the troubled expressions on your face since the last scene.

“I heard the director say that the next scene is the Beaumont Bash.” She told you. “I’m sure there’s not much Maxwell could have changed there. I remember it being a pretty crazy party.”

“Ah yes, that’s when I was first introduced to the Champagne Sword Trick.” You recalled fondly. “Or as it’s better known now, the champagne and the closest weapon to Maxwell trick. I guess it will be fun to see the actors attempt that.”

“Yeah.” Hana nodded with a smile. “Plus, Bertrand I remember you being there that night, so you’ll finally see your character in action!”

“Thank you for reminding me, Lady Hana.” Bertrand smirked. “I do seem to remember having a lot of fun that night.”

“How about you let me hold Maxine for this one?” She offered. “Then the two of you can sit upfront next to Maxwell.”

Bertrand was less enthusiastic about being in close proximity to Barthelemy again, but he did want a good view of the Beaumont Bash. You were also not happy about being near him again, your urge to call him out on his behavior was still strong. However, you let Hana take Maxine and float off to the back row of chairs. You sat next to Maxwell who was taking to his father about what a fantastic success the Beaumont Bash had been that year. Bertrand sat on your other side and quietly commented what a good job the set designers had done.

“It almost feels like home.” He whispered to you.

You agreed that the set was yet another remarkable recreation, this time of the Ramsford Estate. As the filming begins the actors playing you and Maxwell were positioned at the top of the staircase. When the director called “ _Action!”_ Your character welcomed everyone to the Beaumont Bash. While the Maxwell character leapt up onto the banister. He shouted his own line of welcome before effortlessly sliding down the bannister and uncorking a bottle of champagne with a sword. It seemed more dramatic and coordinated than anything the real Maxwell could do, but that was the magic of the movies.

As champagne spilled from the bottle in the Maxwell character’s hands, horses were led onto the set with acrobats riding atop them. Some background music began to play and extras dressed as waiters and servants walked the set with trays of drinks and Hors d'oeuvres. The cameras gather footage of all the actors mingling and partying before a door onset opens. A new actor you haven’t met yet steps into frame with a scowl on his face.

“Did I miss the sabering of the champagne?” The actor sighed. “Not for the third year in a row.” The actor looked dramatically into a nearby camera as it wheeled in for a close-up. “If only my dukely duties didn’t keep me so indisposed. I hardly have time for anyone or anything of late.”

It didn’t register with you at first, but this actor was meant to be portraying Bertrand. He wasn’t by any means a bad actor, but they way he’d been written was awful. This version of Bertrand almost felt like he’d been written as a parody, a joke. You wanted answers from Maxwell and you wanted to comfort Bertrand, but you couldn’t take your eyes off the set when the Bertrand character uttered his next line.

“I wish I could be as fun and carefree as my wonderful younger brother, Maxwell.” The camera held on the Bertrand character moping for a few more seconds before the director ended the scene. He ordered everyone to take their lunch, promising they would return to the scene again after the break. While the actors and crew dispersed around you, it seemed the real Bertrand couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.

“Maxwell is that really how you see me?” He asked his brother looking genuinely hurt. “As some sort of fun deprived sad sack?” 

“What?” Maxwell looked shocked, as if he hadn’t predicted this reaction from him at all. “It’s just…you weren’t there for some things. Liam’s bachelor party, a lot of [Y/N]’s debut, a lot of Bartie’s first…”

“Is this meant to be comforting?” Bertrand huffed.

“Yeah.” Maxwell struggled. “I mean you had House Beaumont stuff to do. I get it. And I’m sure Bartie and Savanah get it.” That was when you decided to step in.

“Maxwell, I don’t think you’re being fair to Bertrand.” You told him. “He didn’t willingly miss any part of Bartie’s life. In fact _you_ and Savanah decided on your own to keep Bartie a secret for so long so it’s hardly fair to throw that back in his face now.”

“I wasn’t trying too…” Maxwell started to say but he could tell that you weren’t finished.

“I’ve been trying to keep quiet today because I wanted to make sure that today was about you, but you made sure of that on your own.” You said. “Not including your brother in events that he wasn’t there is fine. What’s not fine is rewriting everyone else’s lives to make yourself out to be the hero in every single situation. Drake didn’t run across a ballroom to take a bullet for you so that you looked like some big action star. He jumped in front of gun for me because he happened to be the closest person and I was in real danger. Bertrand didn’t mope around and complain through the entire Beaumont Bash either! I remember him laughing and having fun with us.”

“Now, [Y/N] I think…” Barthelemy tried to jump in.

“I think I wasn’t talking to you.” You huffed, not looking away from Maxwell. “Maxwell, your brother has always supported you. Think of all the times he thought you’d wasted family money on things like Jet skis. Lesser people might had kicked you out or cut you off, but Bertrand never did that. Instead he worked harder to manage the house. He sacrificed so many things for himself to keep you happy and to keep House Beaumont in good standing. He has stood by every questionable decision you’ve made since I’ve known you. He stood by you when you told him you brough back a New York waitress as the hopeful future queen. He stood by you when you then told him that you fell in love with said waitress and she was no longer going to marry the King.” You breathed out and sucked in another deep breath. You hadn’t expected so many words to come flowing out of your mouth.

“And lastly, I love you Maxwell. I love that you’re a carefree, optimistic, lovable guy. You don’t need to invent some other version of you where you’re a suave action hero just to impress people. The people closest to you already love you just the way that you are. So I don’t care what you have to do, I’ll pay for the re-writes myself if I have to, but you fix this script so that we all get to see the Maxwell and Bertrand Beaumont that we know and love. Because the rest of the world deserves to see who you really are too.”

“Well, that was certainly some speech, [Y/N]. I had no idea my daughter in law was such a peacemaker.” Barthelemy said. You couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“Maxwell and Bertrand are my family.” You told him, your tone just a hint icy.

“I’m going to check on Hana and Maxine.” Maxwell decided. He placed a gently kiss on your forehead before adding, after that I’m going to talk to the writers and see what we can do about the script. With Maxwell gone Barthelemy mumbled something about joining the others for lunch. You were about to do the same when Bertrand called out to you.

“[Y/N] wait,” You turned back to him. Bertrand’s expression was blank and unreadable. “Thank you, for speaking with Maxwell.”

“Bertrand, I know you don’t need me to defend you.” You added. “But I also know from your courtship with Savanah that sometimes you’re not the best at articulating your feelings. I’ve been boiling about Maxwell’s behavior all day and I was going to wait until we were back in our hotel room to say something but that last scene…it sent me over the edge for some reason. You worked hard and took care of Maxwell most of his life. He should give you more credit.”

“Be that as it may, perhaps it’s time to admit that I have taken on too much between Duchy Ramsford, my family and my duties to the crown.” Bertrand explained.

“Bertrand, I know I didn’t grow up in Cordonia and I don’t know every apple related historical moment,” You smirked. “But I’ve seen quite a bit of recent history and I know that you single handedly pulled House Beaumont and your Duchy from the brink of financial ruin. No other Cordonian is as dedicated to their Kingdom and if anyone can juggle a family and a Duchy it’s you. But it _is_ okay to ask for help sometimes too. Asking for help isn’t admitting defeat. It’s adding in allies to the battle.”

“How could I ever be defeated with the great Duchess [Y/N] Beaumont of Valtoria, formerly New York, as my ally?” Bertrand questioned.

“Exactly.” You smiled.

“For the record, [Y/N], I am eternally pleased that you chose to marry Maxwell.” Bertrand confessed. “While I am glad to have you as an ally on the battlefield, I’m much happier to call you my sister.”

“Right back at you. I meant what I said Bertrand, you’re family and I’m happy to help you in any way I can.” You assured him. “Now I have an important question for you, what is the royal protocol for eating with plastic utensils?”


End file.
